


Danny is Missing

by That_1_Guy



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Creatures, Dan and Arin are soft boys and don’t deserve this-, Egobang - Freeform, F/M, Horror, Kidnapping, M/M, Medication, Monsters, Nightmares, Sad Ending, Sexual Content, Sleep Paralysis, Suicide, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Torture, What Have I Done, brief Egoflap, potential smut???, these boys need a break, why am I always killing someone?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-27
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-12-18 14:28:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18251717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/That_1_Guy/pseuds/That_1_Guy
Summary: People believe that they’re afraid of the dark. But the truth is, they’re actually afraid of what’s in it. That makes sense, because when it’s late at night and you’re sitting in your bed, that dresser may not look like how it did when the lights were on.Your mind can be your best friend or your worst enemy. It can make it seem like you’re not alone, like there’s something standing in the corner of your room, watching you.Leaving you unable to sleep as this uneasy feeling spreads throughout your whole body.You can sleep with the light on, or the door cracked to try and ease yourself, but there’s always going to be something. Now, you may brush the feeling off, asume it’s all in your head and that it’s just the child in you trying to make you afraid of something that’s not really there.But what if I told you, that maybe… that isn’t your mind playing tricks on you?





	1. The Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the inconveniences. This story has been glitching out for some reason. I apologize!

People believe that they’re afraid of the dark. But the truth is, they’re actually afraid of what’s in it. That makes sense, because when it’s late at night and you’re sitting in your bed, that dresser may not look like how it did when the lights were on.

Your mind can be your best friend or your worst enemy. It can make it seem like you’re not alone, like there’s something standing in the corner of your room, watching you.Leaving you unable to sleep as this uneasy feeling spreads throughout your whole body.

You can sleep with the light on, or the door cracked to try and ease yourself, but there’s always going to be something. Now, you may brush the feeling off, asume it’s all in your head and that it’s just the child in you trying to make you afraid of something that’s not really there.

But what if I told you, that maybe… that isn’t your mind playing tricks on you?

 

My name is Arin Hanson. I’m an 18 year old boy in his senior year of highschool. I’m the dorky kid at my school, the kid who watches anime and plays video games all day when I have some free time. I’m the outcast, honestly. People don’t tend to hangout with me because of my interests.

But thankfully, I have my best friend by my side, and he too is a dork.

His name is Dan Avidan. He’s just the slightest inch taller than me, but that might just be because of him head of massive curls. He formally refers to it as his ‘Jew-Fro’. He’s tall and skinny and has rather sharp features compared to my round ones. We contrast each other perfectly. Though his eyes are rather round and soft, they’re a nice hazel, and I like admiring them and telling him about how jealous I am about him having pretty eyes. He’ll always laugh it off and tell me that my eyes are pretty, too. I believe him. I always believe what he tells me. He isn’t prone to lying and he honestly isn’t very good at it.

Danny is very popular among women. He’s a ‘Lady’s Magnet’, really. He’s very handsome, I will say. He’s also very sweet and respectful towards everyone, even people he dislikes.

I wish I could be like him. No girl would want me. I’m chubby and like I said before, a dork. No girl or guy wants that in a person…

But Dan always tells me that I’m not chubby, that I’m just soft and muscular. That honestly always makes me feel better. He makes me feel good about myself. He always has.

He’s also very good at singing. He tried to teach me, but he will still always sound better. I’m getting better, but I highly doubt I’ll ever be as good as him. I prefer rapping than anything. I tried to teach him to draw in exchange. I really like drawing. He gave up to quickly. But that’s okay. At least he tried. That’s what matters. Maybe we can try those lessons again sometime.

Dan’s my best friend and has been ever since we were young kids, and yet there’s still some things I don’t know about him. Like how I didn’t know that he had been smoking weed at one point and had pretty terrible anxiety because of it. I hadn’t know that he had been questioning his sexuality. He’s always claimed that he was straight, but I think he only said it so he would appear ‘Normal’. I noticed him flirting with a guy at one point and when I asked him about it, he told me that he wasn’t sure if he was straight, gay, bi, or pan. So he was experimenting and had actually been somewhat attracted to the guy.

I know that I am for sure bisexual. I’ve known for years now and although I was afraid to come out to both my friends and parents, they all accepted me. I figured it out when I had a crush on both a girl and a boy. That girl and boy still go to my school. The girl was Suzy Berhow, a beautiful young lady with dark hair and sea green eyes. She is a master at makeup and honestly made me kinda jealous, even though I’m a boy… but hey, boys can wear makeup, too.

And the boy… well… I’d rather not say who the boy is.

Maybe some other time.

 

…

 

It’s monday. Boring, horrible, slow, pain inducing Monday. I was by my locker, grabbing my things as loud and obnoxious teens rushed past me. I truly despise people sometimes, especially early in the morning like this when my brain is hardly functioning and all I want to do is curl up and die.

“Arin!” I heard someone call my name. I turned and saw a boy running towards me, his mop of curls bouncing with each step. I smiled. It was Danny, energetic as usual. He reached me and leaped at me, wrapping his lanky body around mine. I let out a laugh as I supported him, thankful for his light weight. Dan always made my day just a little bit brighter. He’s a bundle of joy and sunshine.

“Hey, Big D!” I chuckle softly. He gets off of me, bouncing on his toes. He was always this happy so his little bouncy actions weren’t out of the ordinary. A sweet giggle left Dan’s mouth. He had a cute giggle and it always made anyone around him swoon.

“How was your morning, Ar?” Dan asks me. I shrug. “It’s been fine. Nothing crazy has happened, so I guess that’s a good start.” I responded with a slight smile on my face.

Dan nodded, his curls bouncing once again. “That’s good to hear.” he hums. I nod.

“How about you, Dan? How’s your day been so far?” I ask him. He too shrugs and shifts his weight from foot to foot. “I dunno. It’s been alright so far. I didn’t get any good sleep last night though, kept having real bad sleep paralysis.” My brows furrowed and I frowned. Ever since the beginning of this school year, Danny had been complaining about sleep paralysis. Waking up in the middle of the night and being unable to move or speak. It sounded absolutely terrible and I hoped I’d never have to experience it.

“You’re still getting sleep paralysis, man?” I ask, which was kinda a dumb question, because duh, of course he was. He wouldn’t have brought it up if he wasn’t.

“Yeah. Not sure what caused it. I can’t remember when I ate or if I was lying on my back or anything.” He crossed his arms.

“Can you tell me what happened in it?”

“Sure thing. So, I was lying in bed, unable to move, the usual, and then I look over at my mirror. You know how I sleep with the door to my room opened just slightly since it gets hot as balls in there and fans don’t do shit?” I nod quickly and then he continues. “Okay, so I saw these two red lights reflecting from the hall into my mirror. Then something started to walk into my room. It wasn’t human, I’ll tell you that. It was this weird crimson red and it’s body was all contorted and disfigured. And it was… talking to me, well… It was just saying my name but it was all gross and gargally, like it had something in its throat. It was honestly really freaky and it kept me up last night.”

I shuddered at Dan’s description of this… thing. It sounded horrifying, especially since Dan wasn’t able to move. It had only been a dream, but that didn’t take away the fact that it seemed pretty freaky. Especially since he had felt vulnerable since he was frozen in place.

“I’ve been having this dream a lot recently. And the thing is, this creature keeps getting closer to me in every dream I have of it. It appeared outside my window first and now it’s in my room and is almost close enough to touch me. It’s weird and I don’t like it, man. I just want to figure out what’s causing it.” Dan rubbed his arm for a moment and I could tell that he was a bit anxious.

I shrug and rub the back of my neck. “I don’t know what to tell you, man.” He let out a sigh and twirled one of his curls around his index finger.

“It’s fine. I’ll figure it out eventually.”

I couldn’t help but frown as I noticed the almost… fearful look in my friend’s eyes. I disliked that look.

A smile soon returned to his face. “Anyways, let’s get to class before we get yelled at for being late.” Dan grabs my hand and drags me to class with him. I smiled and held his hand tightly as we entered the classroom together, only letting go to sit down at our seats.

 

…

 

The class felt like it was going to go on forever. I watched the clock, the hands ticking ever so slowly. I was about ready to bash my head into my desk. I could tell that other kids were getting antsy as well, and I couldn’t blame them. It was Monday and only first period. Everything seemed to go slower when you just want it to be over. Dan was tapping his pencil against his desk, looking uninterested in the lesson. He was usually a rather good student, but even good students get bored sometimes.

The teacher was droning on about something… I could barely remember. I was honestly too busy doodling in my notebook to pay attention to whatever the teacher was discussing, which I knew for sure I wouldn’t be using in the future.

When the bell finally rung everyone jumped out of their seats, grabbing their things and rushing to the door. This was were Dan and I parted ways for a bit, which sucked. He went to Chorus and I went to Art. I liked art. It was calming and I like sketching random things. I onced sketched Dan and gave it to him for his birthday, and he still has it hung up above his bed which always makes me blush.

“This is awesome, Ar! You drew this yourself?” He had asked me and I had nodded. “I love it!” He had hugged me and it made me feel all warm inside...

I got to art and took my seat, which was next to this Australian kid, Ross. I wouldn’t really call him my friend, more like an acquaintance, really. I know him but not well enough. He’s honestly kinda annoying.

Ross was already at his desk, and I was surprised, for he was usually late. “Hey there, Arin.” he greets me with that smile that was also the mix of a smirk.

“Sup.” I said simply and looked at the front of the room.

Ross was looking at his phone, probably texting or tweeting random shit. That’s what he was usually doing instead of paying attention in class. He’s gotten away with a lot of stuff, and I kinda envy him for that. Dan and I had tried to pull a prank one time and ended up getting in an ass load of trouble when he can casually pull the craziest of pranks and not have a teacher ever accuse him. It was bullshit, really but it still ticks me off to this day.

When the class started, everything went as usual. It was slow and we were told that we had to do a project that was due sometime next week. I tuck the instructions away, knowing full well that I would probably forget about it until the last minute and get it done then. That’s usually how all my projects were. I didn’t mind this because at least I was getting good grades.

The teacher rambled on about some famous artist or some shit. I zoned out for most of the lesson, just doodling random things in my notebook like I had in first period. Drawings of Mega Man, some original characters of mine, and sometimes even Dan. It was rather satisfying to draw him, especially his curls.

When the bell rang, I was the first one out the door. Today was going by slowly and that’s just always how it was. I sighed as I walk to my next class. Today was going to be long and tedious and I couldn’t wait to get home.

 

…

 

When lunch rolled around, I found a seat and began to pick at the rather gross school lunch. They said it was ‘Mac and Cheese’, but it looked liked a pile of that slime shit that kids make for some reason. I still don’t understand that craze… what’s the point?

I see that someone sits down next to me out of the corner of my eye. I look and smile when I see that it’s Dan. “Hey, Man. How was chorus?” I ask him.

He seemed pretty excited. “It was actually pretty good! And you remember how we have a concert coming up?” I nodded. He beamed. “Well… I auditioned for the solo last week and…” he dragged it out, tapping his bones fingers against the lunch table as some sort of drumroll, though I already had a feeling on what he was going to tell me. “I got the solo!” he exclaimed joyfully. I smiled brightly.

“I’m so happy for you, Danny!” I say, giving him a hug. He hugged me back and let out that sweet giggle, and I swear I saw and heard some girls sigh longingly.

I pulled away from the hug and finally took a bite of my food. It tasted like fake cheese and chemicals. Great. But I was hungry and I needed to eat something. Probably going to die at 25, so why not just speed up the process. I picked through the mush for some good noodles, finding only a few good ones in the whole batch. The rest just being burnt chunks of fake cheese. I nibbled on the soggy elbow noodles and stared out into the crowd of teenagers. Dan then tapped my shoulder. I looked at him and he was holding some kind of granola bar. He smiled at me. “You want it? Doobles packed me two so it won’t hurt if you take it.” He says. I smile and take it from him.

“Thanks, man.” I hum and unwrap the bar and began to eat it. It was much more filling than those five flimsy elbow noodles. I soon finished the granola bar and crumpled up the wrapper, placing it on my tray. Dan was eating his lunch, which his mom had packed. I knew that Danny had tried to tell Debbie that he could pack his lunch himself but she would always insist to do it. Dan also had this really sensitive stomach, so Debbie always had to make sure she was careful with what she packed.

When lunch was over we all left, people shoving and and yelling. I always hated all the shoving and people screaming into my ear. We had to head to our next period. This day was going by way to slowly… I just wanted to go home and play video games or some shit. I really disliked school, and I’m pretty sure most kids do. But my mom would get on me if I don’t do good in school. I had honestly planned to drop out, but Dan had convinced me otherwise.

I let out a sigh as I reached my class. I sat down and took out the specific journal I needed for that class. I waited for the bell to ring and for class to begin. I tapped my pencil against the desk and let out a drawn out sigh. When the teacher entered the classroom I opened my journal and tried to focus on him, but that was always a hard task, so I only managed to pay attention for half of the class period, the rest of the time being wasted away as I got lost inside my own head.

 

…

 

Finally, the day ended. I rushed out of the school and started heading towards my home. I was exhausted and I just wanted to lay down on my bed and sleep for a whole week.

“Hey! Big Cat! Wait for me!” I looked over my shoulder and saw Dan waving me down and running towards me. I stopped and waited for him. He caught up and leaned forward, his hands resting on his thighs as he caught his breath. “Thanks for stopping, man.” he says to me with a smile, still panting gently.

“No problem, dude.” I hum. Danny regains composure and stands up straight. “Hey? Can I spend some time with you at your house?” he asks me and I nod. “Yeah, sure thing. My mom and dad won’t care. You’re like a second son to them, dude.” My comment makes Dan chuckle softly. I begin to walk and Dan follows close behind. We walked for a while, talking about random shit as we walked and laughing together. When we reached my house I fish out my house key and unlock the door, holding it open so Dan can go in. He enters and I close the door, locking it again once I get inside. We head upstairs and to my room and once we get there Dan collapses onto my bed after dropping his backpack by my door.

“Fuck dude. I always forget how comfortable your bed is.” Dan chuckles softly as he looks over at me. I chuckle as well and hum. “I guess I do have a pretty good mattress, huh?” I ask jokingly. Dan laughs. “Fuck yeah!” he exclaims and that gets a laugh out of me.

“So… You want to do anything? Watch a movie or something?” I offer. “A movie sounds nice.” Dan sits up, turning towards me and crossing his long legs.

I walk over to my selections of movies and looked through them. “Anything you want to watch in particular?” I look over my shoulder at Dan, waiting for a response. He just shrugged. “I’m fine with anything, really.” he responds. I nod and continue to look for something I thought we would both enjoy. I finally found one and opened the case, putting the DVD into the the CD player. I sat down on the bed, adjusting some pillows so I could lean back. Dan sat back with me, resting his head on my shoulder. We aren’t together or anything but Dan was just one of those people who loved contact and closeness. I never minded.

I start the movie and we both begin to watch, occasionally making comments throughout the movie and even cracking small jokes. I made a comment and Danny didn’t respond. When I looked, I noticed that he had fallen asleep. I smile softly and tuck some of his curls behind his ear. He looked so at peace as he slept.

I watched the movie, having turned it down a little bit so Dan could sleep peacefully. The movie was almost over I felt Dan begin to shift and heard… whimpering. I looked over at him, a brow raised. His eyes were open, and he was twitching and whimpering, a look of pure terror on his face.

“Dan?” I adjust and shake him gently. He didn’t respond verbally, but he did look at me. “Danny?” I nudge him harder and he still doesn’t answer. Right before I could shake him again he gasped and began to move, his hands flying to his throat and beginning to cough as if something was stuck in his airway. His face was pale and his hands were clammy and trembling. He looked god awful…

“Danny! Danny, what’s wrong? What happened?” I ask him and he grips his chest, looking at me. “A-Arin…” he stuttered out. I nod and grip his shoulders. “Yes, yes it’s me. It’s me, Dan. I’m right here. Take in deep breaths, it’ll be okay.” I say, keeping my voice gentle and calm. Dan nods and does as told, taking in deep breaths to try and calm himself down.

After Dan calmed down I decided to talk to him. “What happened, Big D? Was it sleep paralysis again…?” I ask, my brows furrowing. He slowly nods. “Y-Yeah… It was super fucking vivid and I just… fuck, it was really scary. I felt like I couldn’t breathe, Arin.” he nearly whimpered. The sound alone caused my heart to break. I then noticed how glassy Dan’s eyes had become. I quickly wrapped my arms around him, hugging him tightly. He hugged me back and I could feel his hands gripping my shirt.

“Can you tell me about it…?” I ask. Dan was silent for a moment before finally answering. “Um… I… I was in here and there was this l-loud sound, like s-static from a Tv. It was so loud and it sounded l-like it was coming from i-inside my head. Y-You weren’t next to me and I-I was just in here alone. It also f-felt like there was something around my th-throat and I couldn’t breathe,” he stammered, his voice breaking numerous times as he spoke. “I c-couldn’t breathe and I th-thought I was going to die…”  his grip tightened on my shirt. I held him close, running a hand through his curls gently to try and soothe him.

“It wasn’t real, Dan. You’re okay. I’m here. It’s okay.” I say softly for it was all I could do. Danny just clung to me and I held him close. I felt bad for my friend and about him having these vivid dreams.

I wished there was something I could do, but there isn’t… I couldn’t control his dreams and I felt horrible because they were affecting him terribly. I had even noticed that he was gaining bags under his eyes, seemingly because he wasn’t sleeping very well because of these dreams.

Poor Dan… I just wondered what they meant. Every dream has a meaning. But I don’t know and I don’t think Danny knows either...

  
  



	2. Early Day Panic

Danny spent the night with me at my house. He slept through part of the night but woke up around four and didn’t go back to sleep. I’m getting really worried about him. These dreams are causing him to lose sleep. He’s gonna become an insomniac if these continue and I didn’t want that for him. I didn’t want that for anyone, really. But especially for Dan. He’s my best friend after all. He’s already getting dark bags under his eyes, which was a big concern.

When my mom came in to wake us up the next morning, she was a bit surprised to see Dan already awake. I heard them talking briefly before Danny shoved me to wake me up. I groan and turn away from him. I hear him huff. “Come on, baby bear. You need to get up.” I couldn’t help but smile upon hearing the nickname. That one went way back.

I slowly get up, stretching and yawning. I look at him and my brows furrow. “Dan? Did you get any sleep last night, dude? Like, at all?” I ask. Dan shrugged. “I got a bit but… I couldn’t fall back asleep after a while so I just stayed up.”

His response only made my frown deepen, but I just sighed and nodded. I got out of my bed and went to my dresser, fishing for a shirt and some jeans or something. I’m not too classy when it comes to my clothing. I think I have only one pair of dress pants...

I finally find a simple salmon colored shirt and some loose fitting jeans. I look over at Dan. “I’m gonna go get dressed. Feel free to look through my shit and find something that might fit you.” He nods and stands up. “That might be a hard task. You know how skinny I am, man.” He chuckles softly. I chuckle myself and nod. I leave the room and head to the bathroom to get changed.

When I return, Dan’s wearing one of my ‘Legend of Zelda’ shirts and the same jeans he wore yesterday. My shirt was a bit to big for him it slid off of his shoulder just slightly. It was kinda cute. I could see his collar bone poking out from the collar of the shirt as well.

Oh god, why are my cheeks getting hot?

Dan smiled at me and fixed the shirt so his skin was no longer exposed. He tilted his head, his scarred brow raising. “Dude? You okay? You’re cheeks are getting red.” His comment only made my blush deeper. Fuck, he noticed. I quickly nod.

“Y-Yeah. I’m fine.” I turn away from him, my hand now covering my burning face. “You sure? You look like you’re burning up, Ar…” he turns my head so I’m looking at him again and presses the back of his hand to my forehead. I push his hand away and chuckle, trying to brush it off.

“I’m fine, Dan. I promise. Now let’s go eat, I’m starving.” He nods and I head downstairs for breakfast, Dan following close behind me.

We got downstairs and thankfully my blush was starting to go down. I go into the cabinet and find some bread. I get out the toaster and place two slices of bread into the slots, pushing down the little lever and getting out some butter and strawberries. “You like toast, Dan?” I ask. I see him nod and I nod myself. I grab two plates and once the toast was ready, I took them out of the toaster and set them on the plates, burning the tips of my fingers a tad. I used the butter and strawberries for both and took them to the table. I sat down and Dan sat next to me. We began to eat and I couldn’t help but glance over at my friend from time to time. I could get a good look of his cheeks and adams apple. That damn blush began to return as I admired my friends features. He was definite eye candy and I was not immune, as much as I wish I was.

His arms, his hands, his jaw, his chest, his stomach, his waist, his hips… his thighs… god, those thighs. They were skinny as hell but I loved them. I took a quick bite of my toast so I wouldn’t bite my lip and make a scene. I looked away and looked down at my toast. Okay, I need to stop being super gay for a minute. My cheeks were fucking burning now. I ate my toast quickly and grabbed my plate, taking it to the kitchen and placing it in the sink. I needed to be in another room for right now. I couldn’t let Dan see me blushing. I knew he’d start asking questions and I was in now way able to answer right now.

Dan walked into the kitchen and looked over at me with those eyes. Those damn eyes are going to be the death of me, I swear to whatever deity exists out there.

“Are we ready to go, Arin?” he asks me and I nod, that damn blush finally fading. “Yeah. Yeah, lets go get our stuff.” We head back to my room and grab our bags. We both say bye to my mom before leaving the house. We jog most of the way to school, only walking at a regular pace when we’re almost to the school. We were just talking and joking like we usually did. I was telling Dan a story about something that Ross had done in art class and I noticed Dan yawning. I frown. He’s tired. That much is plain as day. “You okay? You look really tired…” I say. He nods, muffling another yawn. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll be good.” he insists and manages a smile in my direction. I don’t fully believe him, but I drop the conversation, we had reached the school anyways.

We head to our lockers, grabbing our things. Dan was still yawning and honestly looked terrible. I almost wanted to just tell him to go home and get some rest, go full mom mode on him, though I doubted even resting would help him right now. Just might make it worse.

We head to class and wait for the bell to ring and for class to start. Once it did, I was already bored out of my mind. I can’t even remember what we were learning about. But what I could remember is that I kept noticing Danny beginning to nod off during class. The teacher even shouted at Dan once, which I swear I heard Dan whimper and saw his eyes become glassy when the teacher raised his voice. I was tempted to go off on the teacher since Dan hated being yelled at, but I held my tongue. I didn’t need a detention for mouthing off a teacher…

Dan was trying his best to stay awake throughout the rest of class, and honestly not doing a very good job at it. I had to tap him a few times to wake him up before the teacher yelled again or he had a nightmare in class. Either of which I knew wouldn’t end well for Dan.  

When Dan headed off to chorus and I left for art, I was honestly kinda worried. I didn’t want Dan to get yelled at again or end up getting hurt from falling asleep. I sat down at my desk and sighed, getting lost in deep thought. Ross looked at me, once again already sitting at his desk.

“Hey. What took you so long? Were you making out with your boyfriend?” he smirks at me. I felt a blush spread across my cheeks. “Wh-What?” I ask, though I had a feeling of who he was talking about. “You know, Dan?” his smirk only seems to grow. “Everyone knows that you like him, dude.”

My cheeks got warmer. “Dan isn’t my boyfriend!” I exclaim. “Uh huh. Then why do you draw him so much?” It took me a few moments to answer that question, and I ended up stuttering incoherently like an idiot which didn’t really help my point. “He just has nice features, o-okay? He’s easy to draw.” I finally respond. It wasn’t a complete lie...

 

...

 

Everything was going by normally until during the middle of class. I was listening to our teacher but then there was a… scream? We all jumped and looked towards the door. Kids began to jump from their seats, myself included. The teacher tried to tell us to sit down but we didn’t listen. What was going on? Who had screamed?

I looked into the hallway and saw other kids looking into the hall as well. There was a boy pressed against some lockers and I quickly recognized him. It was Danny, and he looked terrified. I quickly pushed past all the kids and rushed over to him. He was trembling and his eyes were wide with fear, his breathing quick and panicked. His trembling hands were wrapped around his throat and I tried to pull his hands away, scared that he would end up choking himself if he didn’t let go.

“Dan! Dan, look at me. If you can hear me I want you to squeeze my hands, okay? I need you to listen to me, Danny.” I say, trying to keep my voice low and calm. If I panicked then it would only make things worse for him and that’s not what Dan needed right now. Dan’s hands slowly left his neck and instead gripped my hands, squeezing them. I smile. “Good. Good. Now, I need you to take in deep breaths. Deep breaths, okay? Just breathe, breathe, it’s okay.” He begins to take in shaky breaths, they weren’t as deep as I would’ve liked, but they would do for now. At least he was responding.

“Good. Uh… you’re favorite dinosaur is a stegosaurus, right? Can you tell me why you like it?” I ask. Dan’s mouth opened slowly. “I-I… U-Um… Th-They have c-c-cool plates and th-they… they’re r-really big and have c-cool spiny t-tails. I-I like them b-because they… uh…” he stammered, his voice breaking and his words all shaky. I squeezed his hands gently. “Good. Good job, Danny. You’re getting there. You’re getting there. It’s okay. Everything’s okay, man.” I say softly. He nods and his breaths become deeper and more even than before. His hands were a tad bit less shaky as well, which was a good sign.  

Things were getting bad. If these dreams were so vivid that Dan was having panic attacks, then he really need to get some help… He needs to sleep, but how can he when he’s constantly having these nightmares?

I wish I knew what to do for him. I’d do anything. Anything at all just for him to get a good night’s rest without being plagued by these horrid nightmares… I want to help him in any way I can, but I’m not sure how to help. But I’d do anything

Anything. Anything at all.


	3. A Little Confession

Dan ended up going home early. I hated seeing him go, but it was probably for the best. He probably needed it. It had honestly been kind of frightening seeing Dan freak out like that and kids were still whispering about it. It was starting to get under my skin when it was the only thing people were talking about during lunch. This didn’t involve them. They didn’t understand what Danny was going through. 

“Did you hear about Danny’s freak out today?” I overheard one kid talking to another. “Yeah. I heard him screaming. Do you know what happened?”

“I was in the class, so I know,” Another kid spoke. “He had drifted off during class, I swear he looked so fucking tired. He looked like he woke up after a while but he was twitching and whimpering or something. He was just… looking around. Then he started the scream and leapt out of his chair and out of the classroom. It was… kinda scary.”

I listened to the boy’s conversation. Dan had fallen asleep and had sleep paralysis during class and freaked out. At least I now know what happened. It was somewhat relieving but also… not. It meant that Dan’s sleep paralysis was getting worse and more vivid if it was causing him to have full blown panic attacks.

I sighed and stopped eating. I had lost my appetite anyways. I stood and threw my partially eaten sandwich into the trash and walked out of the cafeteria and into the boys bathroom to wait out lunch.

 

…

 

When the day ended, I was the last to leave the classroom. I had been lost in thought, thinking about when I heard those boys talking about Dan’s freak out. I wanted to talk to Dan about it but… maybe I shouldn’t. It’s like a fresh wound, and you really shouldn’t mess with it when it’s fresh. Shouldn’t poke around because it might hurt the victim.

I walked home with my eyes glued to the sidewalk, lost within my own head. My feet were dragging and time seemed to be going by ever so slowly. I jumped when I heard my phone go off, alerting me of a text. I pulled my phone out of my pocket. It was from Danny.

 

_ Can you come over? I need to tell you something. _

 

**Yeah, sure. I’ll be there soon.**

 

I sent a quick text to my mom, telling her where I was going before heading to Dan’s house. I knew she wouldn’t mind but would get upset if she didn’t know where I was. When I arrived at my friend’s home, I noticed that his parents didn’t seem to be there. There were no cars in the driveway. Wonder where they were… I knock on the door and wait for an answer. I hear footsteps and the click of the door unlocking and then see Danny. He smiles at me and I smile back.

“Hey, thanks for coming. My parents won’t be home for a little bit, went out shopping, so we have time.” He says before pulling me inside. He head up to his room. I had to admit, I was a bit nervous… what did he want to talk about? Did I do something wrong? Did he do something? Did something bad happen? My brain played off all these scenarios until we got to his room and both sat down on his bed.

He looked better than he had when he left school. He was wearing some pajama bottoms with a loose t-shirt. He also had his curls tied into a messy bun. It looked like a little pom-pom on the back of his head. Like a bunny tail. It was cute.

“So, what did you want to tell me?” I ask.

Danny looks down, fiddling with the bottom of his shirt. “Um… Okay, I just… I w-wanted to tell you about m-my dream today.” he sighed. I nod, silently telling him to continue. “My dream today h-had you in it, and you were hurt and… I-I couldn’t do anything to help you. I tried to get to you, b-but I just… I couldn’t move and I watched you.. d-die.” His voice broke and I swore I could see his eyes becoming glassy. “And… it just r-really fucked me up and I just really n-needed to see you.”

I nod slowly. I understand what that’s like. I slowly wrap my arms around Danny and pull him close and I smile softly when I feel him hug me back. He had his face hidden in my neck and I felt a dampness there, leading me to believe that he was crying, which broke my heart… I hated it when he cried.

We sat together in silence for what felt like hours but was most likely just about five minutes.

“Arin,” Dan looked up after pulling away from my neck, meeting my eyes. “I…”

“What? You what?”

“I… I love you.”

“I love you too, man.”

“No… Arin, I mean… I love you, love you. More than a friend.

It hit me and I froze. I literally froze. My eyes wide and mouth agape. Though I could tell that my reaction didn’t seem good in Dan’s eyes, for he began to get frantic and proceeded to cry again. “I-I’m sorry, Arin! God, I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m so sorry I-I just ruined everything. I just felt like I had to t-tell you. W-What if something d-did happen to you and I never got the chance to t-tell you? Oh god… Please just f-forget I ever said anyth-”

I cut him off by grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him towards me, pressing my lips against his. I feel him tense, then his whole body relaxing and his lanky arms wrapping around my neck. God, this felt wonderful. He liked me! He actually likes me! This is a fucking dream come true! Though… I did feel bad for Dan for having that dream. I couldn’t even imagine having a dream about Danny where he was hurt and I couldn’t do anything to help him…

We pull away slowly, looking at each other. “I love you too, Danny. I have for… god knows how long.” I watch as a smile grows on Dan’s face. A real one and it makes my heart swell in my chest. He lets out a delighted squeal and leaps at me, tackle hugging me. We both began to laugh as he gently pecked my lips. He looked so much happier than he had in years. I loved seeing him this happy. And knowing I had helped him to feel this happy made me even more delighted. Seeing his eyes sparkle was the best thing in the whole world, so much more beautiful than anything else.

“You really like me? Like-like? You’re not just pulling my leg?” Danny asks me. I chuckle. “God, dude, ‘Like-Like’? Are we in fucking middle school?” I laugh as he punches me lightly on the arm. “Shut up, Ar!” I laugh and he does as well. “Okay, okay. Yes, I actually like-like you.” I say for Dan’s amusement. His hazel eyes seem to shine in the dim light of his room, his smile just as bright as his eyes. Such a sweet sight…

I then noticed that we were still hugging, his lanky arms wrapped around my neck and his legs around my waist. He was basically sitting in my lap. I had my arms around his waist, holding his skinny frame close to me, or chests pressed together and our eyes locked. I moved a hand from his waist and cupped his cheek, leaning in and pressing another sweet kiss to his lips.

I felt him kiss me back and I couldn’t get enough if the feeling of his lips against mine. His were a little more chapped than mine were but I liked it. It felt… perfect. Like his lips and mine were two pieces of a puzzle and they fit together perfectly. Dan pulled himself closer to me, his hands finding themselves in my hair and getting tangled in it. I didn’t mind it, though. It was nice.

We pulled away after a moment, and I swear I could practically see hearts in Dan’s eyes. It was honestly the cutest thing I’ve seen in a while. I wanted to savour this moment for the rest of my life. Just sit here with Danny, holding him like this till the end of time. Sounds good in my book.

“Why don’t we watch a movie or something? I have to go home in a bit, but I bet we could get at least one movie in.” I hum and Danny nods. “That sounds like a great idea.” He gets up and searches for a movie for us to watch. We eventually settle on some animated movie that I couldn’t remember the name of. Dan popped it in and sat down with me on his bed. I wrap an arm around the curly haired boy’s shoulder and pull him close to me. This was different than all the other times we’ve cuddled like this. Not a bad different, a good different.

We got halfway through the movie before my mom told me I had to head home. I didn’t want to leave Dan but I didn’t feel like getting grounded either, so I kissed him goodbye before leaving and walking home. Today had ended up turning out pretty good, I’m not gonna lie. It had started out shitty, but ended up being nice.

Wonder what tomorrow’s gonna be like…

 

…

 

It was raining. Gross. The ground was wet and soggy and the air was cold. My mom ended up driving me to school this morning, not wanting me to be caught up in the rain and potentially getting sick. Gotta love my mom, always looking out for me. She dropped me off and kissed my cheek before I went into the school and to my locker to grab my things and put other stuff away. 

I was distracted with trying to grab a textbook that I hadn’t noticed someone walking up behind me and wrapping their arms around me. I jump and let out a sound of alarm and turn to see that it’s just Danny. I relax and smile fondly at him. “Hey there.” I say softly. Dan makes a soft humming sound in response, his face buried in my shoulder. “You okay?” I ask him, resting my hand on his. He nods slowly.

“Tired…” He eventually mumbles and I frown. “I’m sorry, dude…” I say softly and press a gentle kiss to his head. I can feel him smile against my shoulder and it causes a smile to form on my own face. “Come on, let’s get to class. Maybe later I can get you some coffee or something.” I shrug and he does too. “Just want cuddles…” Danny’s voice was still muffled since he was speaking into my shoulder. I chuckle and begin to walk with him still clinging to me.

We can make this a good day, I just know it.

 

…

 

There’s flyers being put up promoting the upcoming school dance. I hear girls talking about it, complaining about when their boyfriend will ask them to the dance and about what dress they’re going to wear. 

I’ve never been a fan of school dances myself. I honestly found them quite boring. Just standing around awkwardly while drinking hawaiian punch out of a flimsy cup in the gym, watching other people dance. Definitely not my definition of fun. Dan and I went once before we got together and ended up sneaking out and heading to the 7-eleven down the street to get some snacks and a drink. Now that was fun.

But maybe since we’re dating now it’ll be a bit more interesting. Maybe.

 

...

 

“So,” I began, Dan looking up at me as he chewed on the bit of his sandwich he had held in his mouth. “Want to go to the dance with me?” I ask him before drinking from the small milk carton I had grabbed. He swallowed and I saw him smile. “Sure. I think it’ll be fun. Heard you can recommend songs this time.” his eyes seemed to sparkle and I chuckled softly. I knew he would be requesting his favorite 80’s songs the whole night, and honestly, I didn’t mind that. Danny had a nice taste in music and didn’t really favor that new music that everyone seemed to be infatuated with, which I was on the same boat. 

Maybe this time the dance wouldn’t be as shitty… but perhaps we could still go and get drinks from the 7-eleven afterwards…

I’d like that.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We’ve gotta have some fluff before everything goes down ;)


	4. Finally a Good Night

Things have been going well. Dan’s parents have gotten him some meds to help him sleep and stay asleep throughout the night and it seems to be helping. Those dark under eye bags are starting to go away now and he’s much more energetic than he has been in a long while. He no longer starts to fall asleep in class or when he’s hanging out with me, so I think that’s a good sign. He hasn’t been complaining about night terrors or sleep paralysis as much anymore, either.

I’m glad that Danny is getting better, that things are starting to take a turn in the right direction. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to for him. He deserved it. He deserved every good thing in the whole world, he’s the sweetest guy I’ve ever met.

We’ve been dating for about a month now and our relationship has been filled with nothing but jokes, laughs, cuddles and kisses. What more could I ask for? Things were going great. Dan had even been helping me study so my grades were even getting better because of him. I’m so thankful for him, he’s always there to help me with anything I need and he never minds helping me.

His chorus concert was coming up soon and I was going to make sure to be there to support him. I knew he would do amazing. Dan has the most beautiful voice and I’m not just saying that because he’s my friend, he’s just got talent. He wants to form his own band when he’s older and I keep encouraging him. He got an acoustic guitar for his birthday and he loves writing songs with it, beautiful and funny songs alike.

When it was finally the day of the concert, I made sure to dress nicely, breaking out my only pair of dress pants and a nice muted pink button up. I had picked up some flowers for him before getting to the auditorium where he was to perform. I fiddled with my tie nervously, waiting for the concert to start, and once I saw his group step onto the stage I smiled and looked up, trying to find Dan. I located him and I felt my heart skip a beat when I saw him in a nice white button up with black dress pants, his hair straightened just slightly and a nice dark blue tie around his neck. He was smiling and that smile was definitely contagious for I started to smile as well.

They soon began to sing, but I was just waiting for Dan’s solo. It eventually came and his voice rang clearly throughout the entire auditorium and people exploded in applause and cheering once it was over. His voice was so sweet and smooth, like chocolate, and I absolutely adored it. If angels were real, that is what they would sound like, for sure. No doubt about it.

After the concert, everyone cheered and then the singers walked off the stage. I located Danny and he threw his arms around me, smiling that bright smile of his.

“You did wonderful, dude! I’m so proud of you!” I say to him and he giggles. “Thanks, Ar. I’m really glad you came. It means a lot to me.” he hums. “Well, how could I miss my boyfriend’s concert? That wouldn’t be very boyfriend like, would it?” I ask with a playful smirk on my face. Dan laughs at that. I hand him his flowers and he kisses my cheek with a bright smile.

His parents ended up driving me home as well so my mom wouldn’t have to worry about me. Dan had his head rested on my shoulder, his eyes closed. One hand was holding the flowers and the other was holding my hand. I give it a gentle squeeze and he smiles. I kiss his head gently and look out the window, watching buildings, light posts, and cars pass by as we drive. It was really relaxing in this weird way. Just watching everything zoom by in a blur or light and color.

My eyes fell closed and I sigh contently. This was good. This was very good…

 

…

 

Avi and Debbie drop me off at my house and I thank them, waving to Dan as they drive to their own home. I reach into my pocket and locate my house key, unlocking the door and pushing it open. “Mom! I’m home!” I call to her so she’ll know I’m here.

“Alright! I have dinner for you in the fridge. You can heat it up if you’d like.” she calls back to me.

“Thank you!” I head into the kitchen and to the fridge, opening it up and grabbing the plate of food, pulling out and taking the seran wrap off of it and placing it into the microwave for a few minutes to warm it back up. Once it was finished, I take it out of the microwave and bring it up to my room so I can change and eat at the same time. I set the plate down on my bed and begin to take off all my formal attire, wanting to change into some pajamas instead. Thankfully it was a Friday so I could stay up playing video games, which I planned on doing.

I kick off my shoes and my pants, tossing them to the side and grabbing some of my favorite sweatpants, tugging them on and pulling on a random t-shirt after removing my tie and button up. I sit down on my bed and proceed to eat. Jeez, guess I hadn’t realized how hungry I was.

I was about to take another bite when I heard a tap at my window. I jump and look over. I hear another tap and I swore I saw a rock hit my window. I roll my eyes and chuckle, a fond smile on my face. I knew it was Dan being as cliche as ever. I’m surprised he wasn’t asleep, though.

I go over to the window and open it up, peering down at Danny. I cross my arms and rest them on the sill. “You could’ve texted, you know? Instead of throwing rocks like some cliche teen boy.” I joke. I see Dan smile and hear him laugh. “But I wanted to be like a cliche teen boy, Arin!” I shake my head and watch as he began to climb the tree next to my window until he was on the roof. “Your parents do know you’re here, right?” I ask and he nods. “Yup!”

I smile and crawl out my window, sitting on the roof with him. I then noticed that he was wearing one of my hoodies. It was pretty big on him and covered his hands, making him look incredibly tiny and cute.

We sat together on the roof, just staring up at the sky and the many stars that littered it. Dan was holding my hand and had a sweet smile on his face, a smile that could light up any room. It was the sunshine that parted the clouds during a rainy day and could spread the sunshine everywhere.

I love his smile. I love everything about Dan but his smile is probably one of my favorite things.

“Hey Arin?”

I turn my head when I hear him speak. “Yeah?”

“I love you.” he kisses my cheek and I chuckle softly in response to the kiss. “Love you too, Danny.” I could honestly stay out here with him all night, but it was getting cold so we eventually went inside my room and sat down on my bed. “Want to play a game?” I ask and he smiles brightly and nods.  I smile and grab one of the controllers from my Switch. I hand the blue one to Danny, knowing that it’s his favorite color, and I take red. We decided on Mario Kart and we played for hours.

“I’m gonna fuckin’ win this time, Daniel!” I exclaim, determined to keep my place in first. I could see a cheeky smirk present on Dan’s face and it made me feel… nervous. I then let out a yell as my kart was hit by a blue shell. “Fuck!” I watched as other karts passed mine, including Dan’s and I frowned as I went from first to seventh place. It had been the third lap and once I crossed, the race ended.

“Yeah! First place, baby!” Danny exclaims and throws his arms up into the air in victory. I pout and cross my arms. I’ve been known to be a kind of sore loser… I don’t mean to be, I just get angry sometimes, especially when I had been doing well. I feel arms wrap around me and I look to see Dan hugging me. “It’s okay, Big Cat. You still did such a good job.” he kisses my cheek and a smile tugs at the corners of my lips. I could never stay mad at this goofball…

“I think that’s enough gaming for tonight.” Dan says as he gets up and turns off the console and the Tv. I nod and lie back on my bed and he lies down next to me soon after, a smile on his face as he cuddles into my side. I wrap an arm around him, holding him close. I sigh contently. He was warm…

“Is it okay if I spend the night?” Danny asks and I nod. “Yeah, go ahead, dude. Want a pair of my pants?” I ask and he nods. I get up with a groan and go over to my dresser, pulling open a drawer and pulling out the smallest pair of sweatpants I owned. “Just tie the strings around your waist and I think they’ll stay up.” I say as I hand them to him.

“Thanks dude.” Dan smiled and took the pants from me. He stood and I couldn’t help but watch as he popped the button on his jeans and unzipped the zipper. He tugged them off and I couldn’t help but stare at his legs for a moment and their skinny glory. They’re boney and thin but I love them. He pulls on the sweatpants and ties the strings around his waist after pulling them so the pants will be as tight as possible. He smiled once he was changed and lied back down on my bed with a long and content sigh. I lie down as well and wrap my arms securely around Dan and pull him close. He giggles and grips my shirt gently. He nuzzles his head into my chest and I smile. He almost looks like a little cat…

“Get some rest, dude. I’ll be here when you wake up.” I say softly, kissing his head gently. It doesn’t take long for Dan to do just that, falling asleep in my arms. I hum and turn off the light on my bedside table, letting my eyes fall closed and relaxing until I fell asleep.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I hope you’ve enjoyed this first chapter!


End file.
